New penal code offers hope of abolishing death penalty in Indonesia

Human rights activists stage a rally in Kota Tua, West Jakarta, to commemorate the World Day against the Death Penalty in this undated file photo. - The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network): A recent report from Amnesty International suggests that Indonesia's revised Criminal Code is a step in the right direction toward abolishing capital punishment, even as the country’s justice system continues to hand down high numbers of death sentences.

Passed at the end of last year, the revised Criminal Code introduced an automatic 10-year probation for convicts on death row to demonstrate good behavior for the possibility of having their sentences commuted.